Greasing mechanism



Feb. 3, 1959 B. D. KAISER 2,871,983

GREASING MECHANISM Filed 001;. 6, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 SOURCE IN VENTOR. v fife/MPO film/54w BY ATTOK/Vf) Feb. 3, 1959 B. D. KAISER GREASINGMECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 6, 1955 INVENTOR. 369M490 0. 44/55? Feb. 3, 1959 B. D. KAISER 2,

GREASING MECHANISM Filed Oct. 6, 1955 I s Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TOR.flzmmmam/szw GREASING MECHANISM Bernard D. Kaiser, South Bend, lnrL,assignor to Bendix Aviation Corporation, South Bend, 1nd, a corporationof Delaware Application flctober 6, 1955, Serial No. 538,924

Z-(Jlaints. (Cl. 184-15) This invention relates in general to conveyormechanisms and in particular to an automatically operable power operatedmechanism for greasing the rollers of the trolleys of a conveyormechanism.

It is an object of my invention to provide a simple, effective andeasily serviced power operated greasing mechanism of relatively fewmoving parts said mechanism serving to inject a lubricant into thetrolley rollers of .a conveyor mechanism when the same is in operation.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide an automaticallyoperative fluid motor operated greasing mechanism for lubricating thetrolley mechanism of a conveyor said greasing mechanism including aplurality of double acting motors operable, as the trolleys of theconveyor pass a given point on the conveyor mechanism, to actuate thegreasing mechanism to inject a lubricant into the trolley mechanism ofthe conveyor.

Other objects of the invention and desirable details of construction ofparts will become apparent from the following detailed description of an.illustrative embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing illustrating said embodiment in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the greasing mechanism of myinvention;

Figure 2 is a view, largely in section, disclosing details of thecontrol valve of the mechanism of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view; disclosing other details of the controlvalve mechanism of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a view, partly in section, disclosing one of the lubricatingnozzle mechanisms of the mechanism of Figure l; and

Figure 5 is a View, taken on the line 55 of Figure l, disclosing one ofthe springs for controlling the operation of the lubricating nozzles ofmy invention.

Referring now to Figure 1, disclosing a preferred embodiment of myinvention, a conveyor mechanism .adapted, say, to transport materialfrom place to place in a factory building, includes the usual I-beamrail structure having secured thereto channel shaped cross members 12,one of which is disclosed in said figure. A plurality of movabletrolleys 14 each including straps 16, rollers 18, and a two part supportmember 20, are mounted on the I-beam and are moved along said beam by apower driven chain 22. Each of the trolleys supports a basket or othersuitable container 24 filled with the material to be conveyed.

Theprincipal feature of my invention lies in the mechanism forautomatically greasing the rollers 18 of the trolley mechanism as theypass a certain point in the conveyor system. To this end there areprovided two double acting fluid pressure motors 26 and 23., preferablycompressed air operated, adjustably mounted on the channel member 12. Asis disclosed in Figure l, the two motors extend in alignment with themember 12 and are spaced apart a sufficient distance to allow thetrolleys 14 to pass between them.

Since the motors 26 and 28 and their mountings are duplicates only oneof saidmotors and its mounting will be described. The motor 26 includesa casing 30 and a piston therein, not shown, said casing being securedby straps 32 and fastenings 34, to a rectangular plate 36. Overlappingplates 38 and 40 fixedly secured, respectively, to the plate 36 and thechannel 12 provide means .for vertically spacing the motor 26 thedesired distance from said channel. This adjustment is effected byfastenings 42 extending through registering slots in the plates 38 and40. A rectangular plate 44, mounted on the plate 36 by supporting plates46, is recessed to slidingiy receive a rectangular shaped plate 43. Thisplate 43 is secured by means including a support member 50, to a rod 52which is connected to the motor piston, not shown; and to the plate 48there is also connected a trigger mechanism 56. To this triggermechanism, which is of any Well known design and to which no claim ismade, there is connected a conduit 62 said conduit being connected atits other end to a bracket member 64 which is connected to the plate 48and memberSt) at their juncture. The conduit 62 extends through themember 64 and is connected to a nozzle unit including a lubricanttransmitting tube 66 having a cap 63 at its outer end adapted to fitover a grease fitting mounted in the center of the bearing of therollers 18. A lubricant transmitting conduit 67 interconnects thetrigger unit 56 with a pressure source 69 of suitable lubricant.

As disclosed in Figure 4, the tube 66 is housed within a cylindricalcasing 70 which is fixedly secured to the support member Si A washer 72,keyed to the tube 66 and located at about the center of the casing 71serves in part to provide two chambers Within the casing said chambershousing springs 74 and 76 which serve to correctly position the tube 66with respect to the rollers 13 and to prevent any damage to the cap 68and rollers when the greasing operation is performed; for the spring 74will yield when the motor piston is moved to bring the cap into contactwith the rollers. To the plate 36 there is secured, by fastenings 78, abumper member 8%; and the trigger mechanism 56 moves into contact withthe cushioned end 81 of this bumper member when the motor 26 .isenergized to effect the greasing operation.

Describing now the valvular mechanism for controlling the operation ofthe motors 26 and 28, this mechanism preferably includes a poweroperated 4-way valve 82, Figure l which controls both of said motors.Referring to Figures 2 and 3 disclosing details of this valve, a casing84, provided with cylinder ports 86 and 88, exhaust ports 90 and 92, andan intake port 94 to which is connected a conduit 95 leading to a sourceof air under pressure, is bored to sl'idingly receive a cylindricalvalve member 96. This member 96 is provided with ports 98, 100, 102 and194, there being a plurality of each, said ports registering with theaforementioned ports as described hereinafter. A wall member 166 withinthe member 96 serves to block off the ports 98 and 100 from the ports102 and 104. A spring 108, housed within a cap and contacting one end ofthe valve member 96, serves to bias said member to the right, Figure 2,to its position disclosed in said :figure. 'When the ported casing 84and ported valve member 96 are in-their relative positions disclosed inFigure 2, the port 100 registers with a duct 112 in the casing.

As to the remainder of the valve mechanism disclosed in detail in Figure3, a casing member 114 secured to the casing 84 is bored to receive afixed tubular valve member 116 which is bored to slidingly receive amovable valve member 118. This member is biased upwardly, to theposition disclosed in Figure 3, by a spring 126 and is moved downwardlyby the armature 122 of a solenoid 124 cured to the casing 114. When thesolenoid is de-energized the spring 120 serves to move the valve member118 and the armature -122 to the position disclosed in Figure 3. Thesolenoid is controlled by a normally open switch 126 which is closed byeach trolley just before it reaches a point in line with the caps 63.The hollow valve member 113 is provided with ports 128, 130 and 132which, as described below, register with a duct 134, a duct 136, and achamber 138 which registers with an exhaust port 146 in the casing 114.The duct 134 regis ters with a compartment 142 outlined by a valvemember 144 and the walls of a recess 146 in the casing 114. The valvemember 144 abuts one end of the valve member 96.

Describing now the operation of the mechanism of my invention andcompleting the description of said mechanism, it will be assumed thatthe trolleys are in motion in a direction away from the plane of thepaper disclosing Figure l. Then just before each trolley reaches theplane of the tubes 66, said plane being normal or substantially normalto the plane of the trolleys, a striker member 148 secured to thetrolley serves to close the switch 126 to energize the motors 26 and 28.This switch, which is secured to the bottom of the channel 12, is ofcourse, positioned so that the motors operate to inject the lubricantinto the bearings of the rollers 13 when said rollers are in line withthe tubes 66. It is to be remembered that in this lubricating operationthe outward movement of the motor piston results both in moving the caps68 into contact with the bearings of the rollers and in moving thetrigger 56 into contact with the bumper 80.

Describing the operation of the 4-way valve 32 to efiect this operation,energization of the solenoid 124 serves to move the armature 122 andvalve member 118 downwardly, Figure 3, to interconnect the conduit 112,at this time leading to the source of air pressure, with the compartment142 of the valve; and this operation serves to move the valve member 96to the left, Figure 2, against the compression of the spring 108, tointerconnect said source of air pressure with a conduit 150. Thisconduit 150 is connected to conduits 152 and 154 which are connected,respectively, to the ends of the motors 26 and 28 remote from thetrolleys that is the outer end of said motors. The aforementionedoperation of the valve also serves to vent the inner ends of the motorsto the atmosphere via conduits 158 and 160, a conduit 156, the valvemember 96, and the port 90 of the valve. With this lubricating operationthe tubes 66, by virtue of the play allowed by the size of openings 99and 99 in the casing 70, to move with the trolley for a very shortperiod of time, that is, until the switch 126 has been opened to againenergize the double acting motors to return the motor pistons to their011 positions. Each tube is, however, returned to its normal position bya spring 103 connected to the tube and to a bracket 105 secured to thechannel 12; all as is disclosed in Figures 1 and 5.

Describing the return operation of the motors 26 and 28 when the switch126 is opened as above described, the solenoid 124 is de-energizedthereby making it possible for the spring 120, to move the valve member118 and armature 122 to their positions disclosed in Figure 3; and thisoperation results in a venting of the compartment 142 to the atmospherewith a resultant expansion of the spring 108, Figure 2, to move thevalve member 96 to the right to the position disclosed in Figure 2.

4 t As will be noted from an inspection of Figure 2, this operationresults in connecting the inner ends of the motors to the source of airpressure and venting the outer ends of the motors to the atmosphere. Themotors are thus energized to return the trigger 56 and the tubes 66 totheir all positions of Figure 1 preparatory to another lubricatingoperation of the motors when the next trolley closes the switch 126.

There is thus provided a simple, compact and effective power operatedmechanism for automatically lubricating the rollers of the trolleys of aconveyor system.

I claim:

1. A lubricating mechanism for automatically lubricating the rollers ofthe trolleys of a conveyor mechanism as said trolleys move past thelubricating mechanism, said lubricating mechanism including a fixedlymounted support member, a greasing mechanism secured in large part tothe support member, said greasing mechanism comprising two aligned fiuidmotors each comprising a casing and a piston member, support means for,in part, adjustably securing the two casings to the fixedly mountedsupport member, two grease transmitting means, each including a triggercontrol unit, for effecting a greasing operation of the rollers when themotors are energized, means, having a portion thereof slidably mountedon a portion of the support means, for supporting the greasetransmitting means, and means, fixedly secured to the support means, forcooperating with the trigger control units to effect their operation;the entire mechanism being opertable, with an energization of the twomotors, to move portions of the two grease transmitting means toward therollers of a trolley and, at the end of the stroke of the said portions,to actuate the trigger control units to effect a greasing operation ofthe rollers.

2. A lubricating mechanism for automatically lubricating the rollers ofthe trolleys of a conveyor mechanism as said trolleys move past thelubricating mechanism, said lubricating mechanism including a fixedlymounted support member, a greasing mechanism secured in large part tothe support member, said greasing mechanism comprising two aligned fluidmotors each comprising a casing and a piston member, support means for,in part, adjustably securing the two casings to the fixedly mountedsupport member, two grease transmitting means, each including a triggercontrol unit comprising a fixed part and a movable part, for effecting agreasing operation of the rollers when the motors are energized, means,having a portion thereof slidably mounted on a portion of the supportmeans and a portion connected to the motor piston, for upporting thegrease transmitting means, and means, comprising fixed bumper members,fixedly secured to the support means, for cooperating with the triggercontrol units to effect their operation; the entire mechanism beingoperable, with an energization of the two motors, to move portions ofthe two grease transmitting means toward the rollers of a trolley and,at the end of the stroke of the said portions, to actuate the triggercontrol units, by a movement of their movable part, to eflect a greasingoperation of the rollers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

